During the party, Mr Praween argued with Sivakorn, before his aide shot Sivakorn in front of everyone. In the ensuing chaos, Mr Praween and the gunman fled in a car with a police escort. Amid a public uproar, Mr Praween was arrested and denied bail, the gunman was killed extrajudicially and Sivakorn's superior committed suicide. The latest developments have the media and public attention focusing on Mr Praween's business, while police have now declared war against local gangsters. Highway police corruption is a small part of the underground economy from which cops benefit from protection money.
